Deir Rafat, Catholic monastery in Mateh Yehuda, Israel

Deir Rafat is a Catholic monastery in Mateh Yehuda with two wings serving different functions. One section houses guest accommodations, while the other contains the monastic community's living quarters.

The monastery was founded in 1927 by Patriarch Luigi Barlassina during the British Mandate of Palestine. It originally served as a boarding school and orphanage for the local community.

The church ceiling displays the Hail Mary prayer written in 280 different languages, reflecting the global reach of Catholic devotion. Visitors walking through can see this linguistic diversity and experience how the place connects people from many backgrounds.

The monastery lies northwest of Beit Shemesh, between Givat Shemesh and Kibbutz Tzora to the south and Kfar Uria to the north, in the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council area. The church, convent and guest house share one walled compound, with the church at its centre. Pilgrims and believers can stay at the guest house and retreat centre; groups should arrange their visit in advance.

The 2.5-metre bronze statue of Mary on the roof was cast in Italy after a model from the Sisters of Saint Dorothy monastery in Vicenza and shipped in ten pieces to be reassembled on site. Its star crown was removed over theft and weather concerns, and the head now wears a bronze crown.